Staff
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Kyle Lephart
Executive Director
Kyle is a Wisconsin native who grew up with Labrador retrievers and has always had an affinity for animals, as evidenced by his first high school job at a veterinary clinic. He has a proven track record of leadership, fundraising, and expertise in the field of service dog training. His broad responsibilities, including working with the dogs, ensuring fiscal oversight, and providing vision and decision-making for a growing agency, make Kyle an ideal fit with Canine Partners of the Rockies.
During his time in Santa Fe, Kyle became a familiar face around town, often volunteering with other nonprofits and joining groups such as the Emerging Social Sector Leaders cohort and the NexGen Philanthropic Group at the Santa Fe Community Foundation. He loves to travel, socialize with friends and family, and hike with his partner Shannon and dog DaVinci.
Kyle is very excited about living in Colorado and exploring the cities and great outdoors that it has to offer. He is also eager to continue the fantastic work that is being done by the staff, board of directors, and dogs at CaPR.
kyle@cpotr.org
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Bridget Domenighini
Director of Development & Communications
Bridget is an Army Combat Veteran and has a master’s degree in Public Administration with a certificate in non-profit organization management, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science. She’s currently working on her master’s degree in social work with a certification in military and veteran behavioral health.
In her spare time, Bridget enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her two kids, their Lab/Australian Shepherd mix, Hazel, and the future CaPR service dog her family is raising- Bodhi. Follow Bodhi on his journey to be a service dog on Instagram at @bodhi_benjamin_cpotr.
Bridget previously worked for Project Animal Aid; a Colorado based animal welfare non-profit focused on providing medical supplies to shelters and rescues around the world. Before moving to Colorado, Bridget was the Director at Peoria County Animal Protection Services in Peoria, Illinois. Prior to shelter management, Bridget spent 6 years as a police officer, and 6 years working in veterinary hospitals as a vet tech and dog trainer.
bridget@cpotr.org
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Kat Von Vorys
Lead Service Dog Trainer
Kat graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in May 2017 with a B.A. in Psychology and a concentration in Applied Behavioral Analysis.
During her years at UNCW, she spent the majority of her time working with the ADI accredited Service Dog organization, paws4people. There she was able to take classes, specialize in her field of study, and ultimately receive a certificate as an approved Public Access Service Dog trainer through the paws4people foundation.
She also worked as a Kennel Attendant at College Road Animal Hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina to continue to refine her knowledge and skills with the canine species of all breeds and sizes. Since then, Kat has worked for 2 other service dog organizations along the East Coast, as a Trainer and Program Manager. At those organizations, she worked with service dogs in training from birth to placement, and gained experience running a Prison Puppy Training Program.
Kat has always wanted to live in Colorado, and is excited to bring her knowledge and experience in Service Dog Training to Canine Partners of the Rockies!
kat@cpotr.org
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Michelle Rielly
Service Dog Trainer
In 2018, Michele graduated with a Masters degree in Business Management and Sustainable Real Estate Development from Tulane University.
During her undergraduate career she started puppy raising for 4 Paws for Ability and fell in love with Service Dog training! In 2017, she joined the Good Dog! Service Canines team and continued to train for them until 2023. She is a CATCH CCDT (certified trainer), Fear Free certified and an AKC CGC Evaluator and Trick Dog Evaluator. She has worked as a professional trainer working both online with new puppy parents and teaching group classes in the Greenville, SC area.
She loves to ski and is excited to be back in the mountains working with Services Dogs in a beautiful place!
michelle@cpotr.org
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Jessie Lausé
Outreach Coordinator
Jessie Lausé is (pronounced “low-SAY”) a sound artist, educator, and administrator from central Kentucky. They hold degrees in arts/nonprofit administration and music composition from Butler University and CU Boulder, respectively.
Prior to joining the CaPR team, they taught undergraduate music technology at CU Boulder, and they taught media arts in elementary schools across the Denver metro area. Jessie is very passionate about creating inclusive learning environments and accessible creative spaces.
When they’re not making art or supporting the puppies and people of CaPR, Jessie enjoys volunteering with performing arts and community justice organizations around Denver, watching reality TV, and playing board games with their partner and their cats, Gubaidulina and Mr. Bear.
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Miki Brewington
Client Services Manager
Miki graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in Public Health and Medicine. With a foundation in Psychology and diverse experience, including roles in flight attending and mental health administrative positions, she brings a unique blend of skills and dedication to the team at Canine Partners of the Rockies.
In her previous roles, she’s developed an ability to juggle multiple tasks and adapt to changing situations. These attributes, combined with her deep love for animals, fuel her determination to contribute to the wonderful work of Canine Partners of the Rockies!
She is from Arkansas, but always knew Colorado would be where she would end up. Whenever she can, she loves to be out in the sun with her pets and partner, Zac, hiking, camping and climbing!
miki@cpotr.org
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Rachel Hazelwood
Puppy Program Coordinator
Rachel was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s in communication with a concentration in nonprofit management.
During her time in undergrad, Rachel worked for local animal shelters and joined Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as an intern during the summer of 2019. Falling in love with the western U.S. made her apply for a job at The Wild Animal Sanctuary where she worked in animal care with a variety of exotic species upon moving to Colorado December of 2020.
Rachel has always loved dogs, and has held positions as a dog hiker, groomer, veterinary technician, kennel tech, and the nursery program coordinator of another service dog school. Her desire to help change the lives of people through providing them with service dogs has impacted her life greatly and makes her excited to come to work each day.
In her free time, Rachel enjoys hiking, camping, crafting, and designing for Denver Fashion Week.
She has three dogs of her own- a 9-year-old husky named Bryn, 6-year-old aussie mix named Boone, and a 2-year-old (career changed) lab named Jem.
Board of Directors
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Diane Goss
Board Chair
Diane became involved with Canine Partners of the Rockies after applying for a service Dog and within a year being awarded Zuni, who is a 4-year-old black lab and a spectacular companion.
Diane was so impressed with the process, the training to learn what Zuni learned, the integration process and the entire Canine Partners of the Rockies staff and volunteers, that she was honored to accept the invite to join the board. She is passionate about the program and the many benefits it brings to people with a disability.
Diane brings 35 years leadership experience in the areas of sales, marketing, operations, and strategic planning. She has worked primarily in the financial services, and senior living industries. Her journey has now brought her to the role of president of a family packaging and warehousing business based in Chicago, where she works remotely with monthly on-site collaboration.
Diane has two adult children who are finishing programs at Colorado State University and heading into the work force. She is active on a total of 3 boards and in her free time enjoys spending time with family, friends, horses, dogs and travel.
boardchair@cpotr.org
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Margaret Hathaway
Margaret is joining the CaPR Board as a mission driven operations executive and animal lover. She has a passion for helping people live full lives by providing options that meet them where they are, and a deep admiration for the bond between animals and people. Margaret is thrilled to join the team to help expand the impact and reach of service dogs in Colorado.
Margaret’s career has focused on utilizing the power of people + technology to increase options for those living with an underserved and often stigmatized condition. She has worked in the private and nonprofit sector building services for kids and adults with developmental disorders, those living with chronic pain, and those battling alcohol or drug addiction. Margaret loves being a part of the growth stage of a company, and often joins when a company is expanding their offerings or launching a product for the first time. Most recently, she grew Hinge Health from 11 to 1700 employees, expanding digital chronic pain and women’s healthcare to over 1 million members.
Margaret and her husband Michael live in Denver with their 2 aussiedoodles, Brady and Gus, and Oscar the cat. Margaret is an avid tennis player, loves getting creative in the kitchen and hosting dinner parties. She has a Master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan and Bachelors in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College.
vicechair@cpotr.org
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Mitch Allen
Board Secretary
Mitch is a US Army Veteran and graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver. After returning home from service in Operation Desert Storm he discovered the world of service dog training and has been hooked ever since. A long-time advocate for the life changing partnership of the Service Dog/Client Team, and for the therapeutic benefits of Service Dog Training for Veterans, he has been a volunteer and puppy raiser for Service Dog organizations for almost 20 years.
Mitch enjoys traveling the world to see the places he learns about from ancient history lectures and seminars. He is an avid reader and collector of books. He currently has two poodles who are either eagerly awaiting, or suffering through, the chaos of new puppies in the house.
secretary@cpotr.org
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Gary Keyfauver
Gary has a personal affection for dogs, and a heart for helping people with physical challenges. Thirteen years ago, he and his wife, Heather, adopted their daughter, Hannah, from a family with a special needs child.
Gary is a wealth management advisor for Raymond James Financial Services and founder of Sage Financial Strategies. His purpose is to positively impact his client’s personal lives as much as their financial lives by helping to simplify the complex.
His career began at Montana State University where he helped establish a business brokerage and valuation company. After college Gary moved to Denver, Colorado to begin learning more about the financial services industry. After ten years in banking, he realized he wanted to better utilize his one-on-one relationship skills and his desire to help people with their planning and investments.
Along with his financial experience, Gary believes strongly in investing in the community. Gary has served on several boards, and volunteers often with clients– making meals or painting homes for those in need. At his daughter’s school he volunteers with Junior Achievement, a program that fosters work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills.
Gary and his wife Heather are raising their energetic 13-year-old daughter and a rescue pup from Greece. Gary is an avid skier, loves to mountain bike, golf, hike, cook and travel.
treasurer@cpotr.org
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Terri Thornton
Board Member
Terri is a lifelong animal lover (dogs the most) because of her Midwestern upbringing and being around animals her entire life. She had aspirations of a career that involved animals in some way and found that volunteer work actually made the engagement with dogs even more fun! Terri brings 40+ years of budgeting, team building, marketing and leadership experience within the agriculture and construction world as skills she can use to support the CaPR Board.
In her free time, Terri enjoys golf, hiking and gardening. She is also a volunteer puppy raiser and spends time finding activities to provide a variety of learning opportunities for her pup.
terri@cpotr.org
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Andy Roads
Board Member
Andy, a London native, grew up in a house filled with love for animals. After college, Andy relocated to Denver with his wife Kris to support her career. They adopted two shelter animals that year: Gooner and Luna.
Andy has a strong connection to the Denver community, owning a fleet of shaved ice food trucks. Throughout his career, Andy has supported numerous companies with HR functionality. However, he has consistently found himself drawn to recruiting, where he currently owns a high-altitude recruiting agency called High Altitude Recruiting. This agency collaborates with companies to hire their senior managers and CEOs.
This is his first board position, and he’s thrilled about it. In his free time, Andy enjoys mountain biking and skiing. He and his wife Kris are raising their son, Olly, who’s an avid hockey player.
